We Tested It: Keurig 2.0

We've really come to love single-serve coffeemakers — they allow us to swiftly make just one cup with no muss, no fuss, or that "is the coffee ready yet?!" waiting period. But on Saturday mornings when we want to kick back with a "bottomless" mug and the paper or when we have company, we still have to drag out the old multi-cup coffeemaker.

Enter the new Keurig 2.0: It's designed to do double-duty as a single- and multi-cup brewer. Along with being a cousin of the best-of-our-test single-serve machine (the Keurig Vue), the models in the new line have a carafe that uses 4-cup K-cups to brew up to 4 to 5 cups of coffee at a time.

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What impressed us most about the new Keurig 2.0 ($150 to $200, amazon.com) in the Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab were the endless options for customization. In addition to having more than 250 assorted K-cups (tea and hot chocolate included) to choose from, you can select a mug that's anywhere from 4 to 10 ounces or a carafe that holds from 2 to 5 cups. Plus, the color touch display senses the K-cup size that you've inserted in the machine and brings up the quantity options instantly. It's so simple, even someone without caffeine in her system can do it.

While we were understandably thrilled at the prospect of making one large pot in the same machine we use for a quick grab-and-go cup in the morning, we found that, when filled to the max, the carafe only holds enough coffee to fill three mugs. This means the Keurig 2.0 will satisfy you if you relish a second or third pour throughout the morning or if you regularly make coffee for just you and your husband. But if you're looking to caffeinate a full table of brunch guests with a single carafe, this probably isn't the model for you.

Nevertheless, the future of smart coffee making looks bright. The Keurig 2.0 display shows that for future iterations, the company's brewing up even more options for flavor and customization in size — including a crowd-friendly carafe.

Betty Gold is a product analyst in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab.